For more information about any of these events, please call us at 207.773.3150 ×227 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Join us before mainstage events for these free talks and lectures.
Pre-curtain Lecture: From Novel to Play to OperaFriday, March 12, 2010 6:30-7:30 pm
Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal HallFREE
More about the accompanying performanceMerrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall Portland Conservatory of Music Executive Director Dr. Deirdre McClure, an opera conductor, provides insight into how La Bohème went from page to stage to one of the most beloved and frequently staged operas of all. Dr. McClure also shares her opera conducting secrets during an interactive session. Precedes the 8 pm performance of La Bohème.
Pre-curtain Lecture: Inspiration and Innovation in John Adams’s New WorkTuesday, March 16, 2010 6-7 pm
Hannaford Hall, USM, Portland, MaineFREE
More about the accompanying performanceA regional scholar discusses the new work commissioned by the St. Lawrence String Quartet from one of our country’s most prolific and controversial composers, John Adams, a New England native. Breaking down preconceptions about what classical music is and can be, Adams’s style attracts classical and new music lovers alike. Precedes the 7:30 pm performance by the St. Lawrence String Quartet.
Pre-curtain Lecture: Masters of African-American DanceSaturday, March 20, 2010 6:30-7:30 pm
Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal HallFREE
More about the accompanying performanceDebbie Blunden-Diggs, artistic director of the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC), gives an overview of the evening’s program and the company’s commitment to honoring the spirit and history of African-American dance. DCDC is recognized for possessing the world’s largest repertoire of works by African-American choreographers. Precedes the 8 pm performance by DCDC.
Pre-curtain Lecture: The Evolution of Bluegrass from the Monroes and the Stanleys to the Punch BrothersFriday, March 26, 2010 6:30-7:30 pm
Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal HallFREE
More about the accompanying performanceTom Ayres, an expert on bluegrass music, discusses the evolution of this American music genre from its beginnings in the 1940s – in the work of Bill Monroe & the Bluegrass Boys and the Stanley Brothers – to today’s emerging innovators such as Chris Thile and the Punch Brothers. Precedes the 8 pm performance by the Punch Brothers.
Pre-curtain Lecture: Gershwin’s Porgy & BessFriday, April 2, 2010 6:30-7:30 pm
Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal HallFREE
More about the accompanying performanceExplore the life of George Gershwin, one of America’s foremost composers who bridged tragic opera themes with contemporary issues of African-American life, causing Porgy & Bess to be scrutinized relentlessly for its controversial content.
Precedes the 8pm performance of Porgy & Bess.
Lecturer to be announced.
Pre-curtain Lecture: A Rising Star of Classical Music’s Next GenerationThursday, April 8, 2010 6-7 pm
Merrill Auditorium Green RoomFREE
More about the accompanying performanceStefan Jackiw is only 24 but he is already a major rising star in the classical music world, following in the footsteps of his inspiration and fellow Harvard University graduate, Yo-Yo Ma. Dr. Robert Lehmann explores Jackiw’s program selections for the evening performance. Precedes the 7:30 pm performance by Stefan Jackiw.
Pre-curtain Lecture: Commissioning from the Best, Preserving Cultural TraditionWednesday, May 5, 2010 6-7 pm
Merrill Auditorium Green RoomFREE
More about the accompanying performanceDance scholar Eugenia O’Brien of the Portland Ballet Company discusses the evening’s program featuring an National Endowment for the Arts/American Masterpiece Dance work by Twyla Tharp, “Sue’s Leg.” Precedes the 7:30 pm performance by Aspen Santa Fe Ballet.
Ovations Offstage pre-curtain lectures
Friday, October 9, 2009 6:30-7:30 pm
FREE
Dance educator and choreographer Nancy Salmon looks at the creative process of Pilobolus, the unique dance company begun back in the 1970s at Dartmouth College. Pilobolus thrills audiences with ingenious choreography, daring physicality, and raw athleticism, all spiced with a hefty dose of humor. Precedes the Pilobolus performance at 8 pm.
Thursday, October 29, 2009 5:30-6:30 pm
FREE
Fritz Grobe – Maine native, former director of Celebration Theater, and Cirque Mechanics alumnus – dazzles us with an insider’s view of the process of bringing a cirque nouveau performance from concept to life. Precedes the performance by Cirque Mechanics at 7 pm.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 5:30-6:30 pm
FREE
Gain insights into the Japanese history and folklore surrounding taiko drums from a student of this ancient but evolving form of percussion. From the making of taiko drums to drumming groups, this form has many adherents in Maine and around the United States. Join a taiko drummer for an informative lecture on the beginnings of taiko drumming and teaching this form to students.
Thursday, February 4, 2010 5:30-6:30 pm
FREE
Learn more about pre- and post-apartheid South Africa and how political change has influenced the Soweto Gospel Choir and its mission, from Portland resident Tim Honey, visitor to and volunteer in South Africa since the 1960s.
Precedes the Soweto Gospel Choir 7 pm performance.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 5:30-6:30 pm
FREE
A lively panel discussion with ScrapArtsMusic, EcoMaine, and Reverb to promote awareness of “greening” any organization. These professionals work to find solutions to sustain the environment; join in the discussion. Precedes ScrapArtsMusic 7 pm performance.
Saturday, February 13, 2010 6:30-7:30 pm
FREE
This event has been cancelled.
Saturday, February 20, 2010 6:30-7:30 pm
FREE
Cape Verdeans have been in Maine for generations. Join George Hillman, one of the contributors to Maine’s Visible Black History with family history back four generations from Cape Verde, to learn more about this interesting country and its cultural influences. Precedes the 8 pm Maria de Barros performance.
Saturday, February 27, 2010 6:30-7:30pm
FREE
String quartet Brooklyn Rider is known for its creative programming and exciting collaborations with Yo Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project and internationally acclaimed contemporary composers such as Zhou Long and Osvaldo Golijov. Dr. Dan Sonenberg speaks with Brooklyn Rider musician and composer Colin Jacobsen about his cultural and musical influences. Precedes the 8 pm performance by Brooklyn Rider.
Friday, March 5, 2010 6:30-7:30 pm
FREE
Join Skip Cole, Superintendent of Campobello International Park, and former parks superintendent of FDR’s home in Hyde Park, New York to discuss the longtime political relationship between the United States and Canada and their co-ownership and administration of Campobello, Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s beloved getaway in New Brunswick, now an international park. Broadening the view, our speakers Donald Soctomah, Passamaquoddy historian and author, and Jean Flahive will offer some additional cultural and historical perspectives on Campobello Island, Maine’s nearby neighbor to the north. Soctomah and Flahive have recently co-authored Remember Me: Tomah Joseph's Gift to Franklin Roosevelt.
Precedes the 8 pm performance by Ed Asner as FDR.
